A Net-Shape, High-Productivity Fabrication Route that Utilises Low-Cost Tools to Produce High-Complexity Parts – NIFTY

Type: Active Collaborative Project funded by InnovateUK

Competition: Materials and Manufacturing

Partners: Maher, Replicast, The Manufacturing Technology Centre

A novel hot-isostatic pressing (HIP) process route is developed in NIFTY to enable net-shape, high-integrity components to be produced from high-performance materials. An innovative manufacturing route is developed to produce high-precision, low-cost tools, allowing the HIP process to produce complex-shape parts at lower-cost and higher throughput. An advanced powder-handling system is developed to ensure minimal contamination to the processed powders. Key innovations include a new route to produce complex-shaped components using HIP, a novel powder handling system to ensure high-purity components and a digital process selection tool.

Granta Design is developing the digital process selection tool, to assess the viability of the process for a selected component against competing technologies.